Blackberries

 I am always amazed at how God chooses to speak to us!  Often, it is through my two girls or our relationship together.  But this time He decided to use something new... fresh blackberries!  Here where we live in NC, it is full blown summertime!  It is about 90 degrees with a humidity percentage to match!  We have had thunderstorms quite frequently and the rainfall has been unseasonably heavy.  A few days ago, I was out early in the morning picking some fresh blackberries.  As I often do, I was spending the peaceful time praying.  I had picked probably about 3/4 gallon of blackberries as I was working my way around the vines.  I stopped and was about to call it quits because  I was sweating like crazy and my arms and hands were scratched and torn up by all of the thorns...  Just as I was about to turn and head to the house, a nice ripe blackberry caught my eye.  I hadn't seen it earlier due to the amount of vines and leaves around it.  I found myself holding the jug with all of these blackberries securely in one hand and reaching painfully through the multitude of thorns that surrounded this one single blackberry.

Just as I reached it, God spoke to me... my mind immediately went to the scripture of the lost sheep. (Luke 15) How the shepherd would leave the 99 to find the 1.  I found myself looking at this blackberry in a whole new light!  I remember when I was the "one".  I remember when a loving savior reached through the multitude of thorns surrounding me just to bring me securely into His hand!  I then found my thoughts were on Romans 8:39 "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  I so vividly remember this love reaching through the thorns many years ago!  I believe that in Christian circles, we forget where we came from.  May we never forget the price that was paid to bring us to our loving security!  This same loving God, is using our family as His hands extended, to reach through the thorns that surround so many people in Alaska!  This is why we go!  Because there is a ripe harvest ready to be brought into the kingdom.  There will be thorns, but the end result is the sweetest cobbler you could imagine!!!  Will you help us reach?

Carrying Hope to the Alaskan Villages,
Phillip